Courage Ride, an annual charity bike ride benefiting the University of Iowa’s sarcoma cancer research program, will be held Saturday, August 12th at Big Grove Brewery and Taproom in Iowa City. A virtual ride option is also available.

Courage Ride, honoring the life of Seth Bailey, is an annual bike ride with multiple route options through the beautiful Amish countryside near Iowa City and Kalona. Courage Ride is dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by sarcoma cancer. Proceeds benefit the Sarcoma Cancer Research Program at the University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Event Details

Five routes will take riders through the scenic Amish countryside near Hills and Kalona and out as far as North English and Millersburg, Iowa. Beginning at 6:00 a.m., bicyclists will travel on 5 different routes. Routes from Big Grove include lengths of 18, 38 (Seth Bailey Courage Loop), 57, 86 or 100 (The Tom Bailey Century) miles.

• Registration at Big Grove opens at 6 a.m.
• Includes breakfast and lunch
• Rest stops with food, drinks and live music
• Cyclists receive detailed maps, SAG support and bike mechanics
• Courage Ride jerseys available to order
• A silent auction at Big Grove featuring items from area businesses, organizations, and craftsmen
• Adult-Early Registration (through Friday, August 4th) $75
• Adult-Week of Registration (starting Saturday, August 5) $85
• On-site registration Friday, August 11 and 12 is $90.
• Youth (13-17) $15
• Children 12 & under are free.
• Visit CourageRide.org for route maps, registration information or to make a donation.

About the Ride

Courage Ride honors the life of Seth Bailey, a courageous young man who died at age 25 from sarcoma cancer in 2003. His parents, Jackie and Tom Bailey partnered with Bicyclists of Iowa City (BIC) in 2005 to create a ride that all levels of bicyclists can enjoy.

Bicyclists can also participate in a silent auction featuring items from a variety of area businesses, organizations and craftsmen.

Discount For Early Registration

Registration is now open. Early adult registration is $75 (through Friday, August 4). Beginning August 5, adult registration is $85. On-site registration Friday, August 11 and 12 is $90. Youth registration (13-17) is $15. Registration includes breakfast and lunch, entertaining rest stops and SAG support. Live music will be held throughout the afternoon.

Visit www.CourageRide.org for more information about the event including registration, route maps, parking, or to make a donation.

Proceeds Support Sarcoma Cancer Research

All proceeds from Courage Ride go to the University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center Sarcoma Research Program. Over the past 18 years, Courage Ride has raised over $790,000 for sarcoma cancer research.

To date, Courage Ride proceeds have seeded numerous sarcoma cancer research grants. Many of those grants have evolved into promising, larger scale research studies. This newfound momentum in the Sarcoma Research Program has created a lot of enthusiasm among researchers, investigators, doctors and cancer care providers at the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. The results are leading to new advancements, new partnerships and attracting some of the best research talent in the nation. Patient lives are improved as a result of these research studies and the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center is gaining worldwide recognition for its expertise in advancing sarcoma research.

Courage Ride’s mission is more crucial than ever considering that funding for cancer research has been shrinking over the past 10 years, according to the American Association for Cancer Research. Yet cancer remains one of the nation’s costliest diseases. The American Cancer Society’s 2022 estimates for soft tissue sarcomas in the United States (these statistics include both adults and children) project that 13,130 new soft tissue sarcomas will be diagnosed (7,470 cases in males and 5,660 cases in females) and 5,270 Americans (2,840 males and 2,430 females) are expected to die of soft tissue sarcomas. Over 100 adults and children in Iowa are diagnosed with sarcoma each year. Sarcoma receives one to two percent of all cancer research funding.

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Join us for this fun event and help us “Fight Sarcoma Cancer. Together.”